By
ANTHONY CINI

Violent night at Apollo Estate

POLICE from the Orana Local Area Command were forced to escort paramedics in and out of Apollo Estate after a brawl erupted early Saturday morning.

The weekend of alcohol-fueled violence was turning into a regular occurrence, Apollo Estate residents said, as they were kept awake in the early hours of the morning because of the brawl.

Police and emergency services were called to Lunar Avenue to shut down a party with almost 100 people, many of whom were reputed to be from out of town.

Two men were taken to hospital after the brawl, one with head injuries and the other with minor stab wounds.

An Apollo Estate resident, told the Daily Liberal police had blocked off the area after arriving on the scene, escorting paramedics in and out of the estate.

While the brawl was happening, one resident recorded the incident on her mobile through a bedroom window, too scared to be seen.

"It's happening every weekend. I reckon I saw about 150 people in the street that night," the resident said.

"I saw 25 people gathered under the street light at Lunar Avenue. The policemen were constantly on patrol. I saw about six cop cars on the street, and even more in Braun and Collins Avenue."

She said she saw a young man wandering on the street crying, saying "why do this to me?" and believed he had just been assaulted.

The resident, a mother of five, said she constantly had blocked the noise out for the sake of her children and made sure the house was secure.

"I feel more safe inside. I tell my kids never to play out the front of the house and only allow them out the back.

"I never go out the front during an incident like this, if I do I know it's on.

“I once asked the kids’ father to come and stay at the house one weekend. He was sitting on the front porch with a beer and cigarette.

“A woman asked him for a smoke, he said no and she smashed a beer bottle in our front yard. I came out of the house at this point and she told me my house better have insurance because she was going to burn it down... It’s just ridiculous.”

During the woman’s footage of the incident, voices were heard screaming in the darkness “there’s a fight, gather round” while gangs were being formed.

“The police had a strong presence on the weekend. They were there all night.

“I think there were many people from out of town at that party,” the woman said.

Another nearby resident said she slept right through the brawl on the weekend.

“It happens so often now that I’m just used to it,” she said.

Orana Local Area Command inspector Mitchell Croyston said there was an increased police presence at Apollo Estate yesterday.

“There were numerous police officers there in response to what was occurring,” he said.

“We’re always concerned about the safety of our officers. The work, health and safety of our work is a mandatory practice for us. And it’s not just that kind of case, it’s any type of incident.”

There was still broken glass along the road at Lunar Avenue yesterday, possibly remnants from the weekend brawl.

The Daily Liberal attempted to contact Member for Dubbo Troy Grant for comment but he was unable to return calls as the paper went to print.

The weekend incident was the second time this month a brawl had broken out in Apollo Estate, the first occurring during daylight hours.

It has been seven years since the New Year’s Eve riots at the now disbanded Gordon Estate, in which two police officers were bashed and a police car was destroyed.